Tom Johnson-Medland

Shortish TJM BIO

A public speaker since 1975. A published author since 1987. Tom is in his 24th year as an end-of-life specialist and hospice leader. A retired ordained Greek and Russian Orthodox Clergyman (1997 - 2019) and current Chaplain for the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem (Hospitallers) since 1999. A certified End-of-Life Doula (University of Vermont) since 2019.Tom is currently the Director of Social Services for the Forget-Me-Not division of BAYADA Hospice.Tom has been and remains deeply involved in nature and ecology instruction/advocacy, food service management and cooking, spirituality, leadership formation and direction, Scouting, house painting, gardening, hiking and camping, dreamwork, fishing, tying flies, and photography.

Tom loves authoring books, poems, stories, essays, painting with watercolor and taking photographs; he also loves, leading workshops and lectures about just about anything. Longish TJM BIO

Tom was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and attended Gordon College on the North Shore of Massachusetts and Penn State University in State College, PA. He majored in Medieval Studies. He finished his BA in Medieval History – as a young Dad – with Thomas Edison University in 1995.

He has attended Seminary and Priestly Formation with Saint Tikhon’s Seminary and Holy Seraphim School of Formation. He was ordained by the Greek Orthodox Church in 1996, and by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000. He was knighted by the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem in 2000. He served in parish work until 2002.

Tom began hospice work in the Spring of 1997 as a Pastoral Care Coordinator, also providing Bereavement Care, and Volunteer supervision. He also served as an educator and representative for

Lighthouse Hospice, becoming their Director of Project Development and IT after attaining Three Master Certificates in Project Management with Villanova University. Tom also acquired certification for End-of-life Doula care through the University of Vermont in 2019.

He took a four-year sabbatical from full-time hospice work to manage the kitchens and the media services for Pocono Plateau Camp and Retreat Center in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. He was a project consultant for Lighthouse Hospice during this time. While at the retreat center he was able to finish and publish seven-book manuscripts. Upon completion of his tenure at the retreat house – in October of 2011 - he returned to Lighthouse Hospice as their Chief Information Officer and eventually CEO.

Tom enjoys writing and has published a total of fifteen books, a chapbook, and over fifty articles on end-of-life care, spiritual direction/formation, leadership, cooking, and management. He also enjoys hiking, camping, running, gardening, hanging out along the Delaware, and leading workshops. He is married to Glinda who is a social worker and therapist and has two sons, Zachary and Josiah.

He has volunteered as a Cub Scout leader for his sons’ cub pack, and Assistant Scoutmaster for a Boy Scout Troop while a student back at PSU. Both he and his wife volunteered for six years as Youth Leaders at their parish. He continues to provide leadership development training throughout his denomination and other religious, civic, and healthcare organizations. He has taken to worshipping with the Quakers (The Religious Society of Friends) since 2015.

Tom volunteered weekly at the local prison for over two years - teaching a poetry class. The class involved critiquing poets and then attempting to address their works by imitative creative writing - for either style or content. Developing a unique author's voice was vital to the class. Tom and the class published a volume of poems entitled Coming Back Home: Poems On Leaving Prison.

Tom is anxious to begin volunteering in the Lancaster County area. He has already applied to volunteer at the Historic Ephrata Cloisters. COVID-19 has been delaying his start.

Tom is currently working on his next two book projects. Coming soon will be "RIVER BENDING: Poems on the Delaware River and Her Tributaries", and "WHISPERS TO THE SEA: A Guidebook for End-of-Life Doulas." 

He has also begun watercolor painting again after a 40 year hiatus.  Tom augments his writing with his paintings or photographs he takes himself.

Tom lives in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania at 831 Water Street.